The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Tattoos are a popular method of body art, and there are an estimated 20-30 million tattooed individuals in the world. Approximately 50% of those who get tattoos regret all or part of their tattoos and want to have them removed completely, or faded enough to allow for re-tattooing of a new design over the old tattoo. Currently, there are no reliable, safe, consistent, or affordable methods for tattoo removal. Laser-based therapies are the standard of care and have showed promise in very specific tattoos (i.e. pigment type, size, and patient's skin color), but have several shortcomings that prevent many from seeking this treatment.
Professional tattoos are created by injecting tattoo inks with a rapidly reciprocating needle that drives ink particles into the dermis to a depth of 0.6 mm to 2.2 mm. The inks used in tattooing are derived from exogenous pigments. Pigments in tattoo ink can include iron oxides, chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, barium sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium copper silicate, sodium aluminum silicate, copper carbonate, dioxazine and carbazole among other known pigment formulations. Following injection of the ink pigment particles onto a region of skin, the ink pigment particles reside in the interstitial space between dermal cells where they form large aggregates of about 100 μm to 200 μm until fibroblasts or macrophages engulf the pigment particles and internalize the tattoo ink. The size of the ink particle aggregates and the collagen network surrounding the aggregates help keep the ink pigments within the skin making the tattoo permanent, thus the difficulty with removal of tattoos.
Tattoo removal depends upon several factors including size of the tattoo, location of the tattoo, the individual's healing process, how the tattoo was applied and the length of time it has been on the skin. Tattoos naturally fade over time due to sun exposure and the ongoing immune response to foreign bodies (i.e. ink pigment particles). Laser-based therapies use high-energy light emissions at specific wavelengths to, in essence, accelerate and enhance specificity of the natural decomposition of tattoo ink by sun exposure. As tattoo inks vary in color and consequently, absorption wavelengths, lasers with different emission wavelengths are necessary to remove specific pigments, essentially requiring advanced and expensive laser treatments with sophisticated lasers that can emit several wavelengths. The high energy light decomposes the ink residing in residual bodies, allowing the natural immune response to continue. The drawbacks of laser-based therapies for tattoo removal include and are not limited to affordability, availability, reliability, consistency, associated pain and discomfort, hypo- or hyper-pigmentation of the skin, and scarring. Other commonly accepted treatment modalities for tattoo removal include dermabrasion and surgical removal which may further increase the risk of adverse side effects and potential irreversible markings left in the removal process.
In addition to the more prevalent body tattoos, cosmetic tattoos or ‘permanent make-up’ are also skin problems that many try to remove with laser, dermabrasion and surgical treatments. In some examples of cosmetic tattoos, tattooed eyebrows, eyeliner, and lip liner are also often sought to be removed.
When working around the eye area with laser or surgical treatment, particular care must be taken to ensure that there is no eye damage, necessitating the use of protective eye shields that sit on the cornea for the removal of permanent eyeliner tattoos. The laser used to remove these pigments can also remove hair (but only temporarily) and this can be a problem when removing eyeliner, and eyebrow tattoos.
Furthermore, with cosmetic tattoos, it is possible for a shift in color to occur e.g. a pink lip liner tattoo may become dark green or black. Although, this darker color can still be treated with laser, it may not appear aesthetically pleasing during the period of removal and further increases the inconvenience, time and cost for permanent removal.
IBIS World (Tattoo Removal Practitioners Market Research Report, January 2012) values the tattoo removal market at $66 Million and determined a 21% annual growth from 2007-2012. To put the out-of-pocket cost in perspective, the average starting cost per square inch of tattoo removal can range from about $100.00 to about $150.00 (averaging approximately $125 per treatment) and it takes 6-10 treatments depending on the size and ink colors to obliterate most tattoos. It is therefore reasonable to believe, that the cost of removing a tattoo with laser therapies is far greater than the original cost of the tattoo. It follows that an alternative therapy would be desirable both from a customer and economical perspective.
For at least the reasons provided above, there is a need to provide dermatological procedures for safe, reliable and economical methods for the removal or fading of permanent tattoos.